Naked man tells Syracuse police he doesn't know what he was doing on roof

Syracuse, NY -- Syracuse police responded to a complaint late Monday night of a naked man on the roof of 915 James St.

An officer climbed a ladder to the roof of the building about 11:15 p.m., where he found a man without any clothes, Sgt. Tom Connellan said.

The officer handcuffed the man, who was removed from the roof with the use of a fire department bucket truck, Connellan said.

The man first identified himself to police as James J. with a birthday of March 26, 2002, but police could tell the man was older than eight years old. The man later identified himself as Jamal Brown, but gave a birthday far older than he appeared to be.

The man told police he was smoking “water,” a street name for a PCP-laced cigarette, and had no idea what he was doing on the roof, Connellan said.

The man, who finally said he could not remember his name or address, was admitted as a John Doe to the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center.